1. Intro: 1 Revelation 1: It s all about Jesus! 1.1. Prayer for Missions teams: Peru; Dominican; Belize; Haiti.

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1 1 Revelation 1: It s all about Jesus! 1. Intro: 1.1. Prayer for Missions teams: Peru; Dominican; Belize; Haiti Questions: So why do you like the book of Rev.? (ask) We are inspired by its content, fascinated by its prophecies, & stand in awe of its mysteries. (www) Q: How many have seen my Power Point on an Overview of Rev.? 1.3. Tonight: Intro; background; How we are going to look at it Illustration: Like this picture explain its background Yossi Rosenstein ( Symbolic Art ) Have someone tell what they see from row Have someone tell what they see from row Have another come take a closer look In viewing art no single visit will be sufficient the more you visit the painting, the more it will reveal itself to the visitor, the more it will reveal the Artist/Author himself! [Apply to Scripture/God] So the question is What will God unveil to us this time through? 1.4. Why people are afraid of this book: Some see Rev as a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Winston Churchill Some see Rev as a kind of a biblical boogey-man. Swindoll Everyone is quick to say it is God s Inspired Word!...but, a part of everyday life? - Application for today? Yet, it is piercingly relevant & has some of the most straightforward advice for the Church in all of Scripture! Symbols, they Scare me!!! Why did John use symbolism? Symbols don t weakened w/time! Symbols not only convey information, but also impart values & raise emotions For instance John could have written a dictator will rule the world. But instead he described - a beast! Instead of a world system - Babylon! Biblical symbols are consistent w/the whole biblical revelation Some symbols are explained: 7 stars are7 Lampstands (1:20) Others are understood in the O.T.: Tree of life (2:7) Out of 404 vs. in Rev. 278 contain ref to the OT Some aren t explained at all: White stone (2:17) Symbols speak of reality = a flag stands for the existence of a nation.

2 We must be careful not to allow our imagination to run wild Don t overanalyze the details. (i.e. 666, Ronald Wilson Reagon) Mikhail Gorbachev (his birth mark?) 1.6. Be careful not to read too much of our world into the text: Try not to try to correlate every image to a modern equivalent Every generation has had its Antichrist & Babylon! 1.7. Don t loose the Big Picture! When lost in the details, lift your head up for air! What is the Big Picture? Mankind started well, then went bad fast! The promise of a deliverer was 1 st given in the seed of a women. The hope was passed on to Abraham, then to Isaac, then to Jacob who passed it on to his sons. Then it was beautifully illustrated in Exodus. It was longed for by the Judges, amplified in the Kings, & predicted by the Prophets. Finally it was fulfilled in the Gospels. But not until the Rev does it come to its fullest climax. Christ rides out of heaven to destroy Sin & Satan, & to restore creation to its original glory for our good, & His good pleasure forever! Why I love this book: I love John s writing style (think of his Gospel; 1 Jn; love) It s Beatific Vision! Rev.21: of the most beautiful chapters on Worship (ch.4 & 5) Stir us to a deeper commitment for the Lord in light of end-time events. And to promote a concern for lost souls Is Rev really a book for us to understand? Read 1:1 - unveiling (not veiling) a laying bare Read 22:10 It wasn t to be sealed! This is Jesus Royal Mail to the Church! What views are there, & which view will we take? Historical View - A panorama of the history of the church from the days of John to the end of the age Spiritualistic View - This viewpoint spiritualizes & allegorizes the text! Saying basically that these are not actual events but are simply stories of the struggle between good & evil! [emerged in the 4th cent., Catholic & Reformers held/hold to] Preterist(Latin for past) View - All ready fulfilled in Roman Empire Futuristic(prophetic) View - Literal, future, normal, plain. They see from ch.4 on as yet to be fulfilled. [the view we ll take!] 1 Chuck Swindoll; God s Masterwork, Revelation Overview; pg Chuck Swindoll; the 7 Churches of Rev; pg.1

3 Revelation answers the deeper questions of life! Like, Why are we here? Where is this mixed-up, out-of-control world heading? It s ok to be dissatisfied w/this world because we were created for a better one! A world w/o pain! Perfect harmony w/our Creator, & w/each other Q: What is the world asking for right now in the news? U.S. out of Iraq & Afghanistan World Peace! Iran not to develop Nuclear weapons Peace in the Middle East A Greener Earth. - Global Warming Can t we all just get along? Wait, isn t that our message of the millennium? No wars, a remade earth(plants & animals), world peace! Folks we can guarantee this for them if they d except Christ! It is a Grim future for the Earth! [1] Scientist say, our environment can t hold up. [2] Economist say, w/in 40 yrs. we ll be raped of our natural resources. [3] Militarist say, we can t survive an atomic nor nuclear world war. [4] Diplomats say, the fuse is lit in the Middle East & it s going to blow! [5] Historians say, man s tried every form of government & none are w/o flaw! It s a Great future for Heaven! [1] God says 1 form of Gov. will work a Monarchy w/a Righteous Monarch! [2] The Good News is & our absolute promise is The Lamb Wins! The Revelation! (not s ) In the 4 Gospels they reveal Jesus in His Humility, Now Revelation reveals Him in His Glory! It is Apocalyptic literature: {writings that employ symbolic lang. to tell of Divine intervention which will take place in the future} Barclay, All Apocalyptic literature is necessarily cryptic. It is continually attempting to describe the indescribable, to say the unsayable, to paint the unpaintable i.e. How do you describe heaven? Or, the resurrected Lord in human terms? Revelation is where things come to a fitting conclusion! Creation of heaven & earth; Creation of NEW heaven & earth st Adam reigning on earth; last Adam reigning in glory Night & seas created; No more night, no more sea A bride brought to Adam; The Bride prepared for Christ A tree of life in Eden; A tree of life in the New creation Death & a curse; no more curse, no more death & tears Man driven from God s face; Men see his face in glory Believers looking for a city; The Holy City presented in glory Where is the Lamb? The Lamb reigns! Satan utters the 1 st lie; nothing that makes a lie enters the city.

4 How should we interpret it? The Chinese say that it s very difficult to prophesy, especially about the future! {It s easy for the One who sees our Future as Past!} See it Chronologically! (do ch s 1-22) Yes we ll talk about the future; but let s not forget the meaning to its original readers; or its timeless truths for us today We will interpret it with normal, grammatical, historical, ordinary literal sense w/in the normal context that it is written When the literal makes sense, seek no other sense When it doesn t (i.e. a symbol) we will use proper rules of grammar & interpretation. 2. IT S ALL ABOUT JESUS! (1:1-3) 2.1. Just Give Me Jesus! 2.2. (1) Revelation unveils the central figure of Scripture in all His Glory Jesus Christ! He is the Savior to whom all symbols point To miss seeing Jesus in Rev is to squint so hard staring into the sun & thus missing the sun! It s the most worshipful book in the bible. For it reveals the glorious splendor of our gracious Lord Revelation = 1 st He is the revealer; 2 nd He is the content or object of the Revelation From: the Father, to Jesus, to the angel, to John, to His servants (2) John saw & recorded these things (3) The only book in the bible that promises a blessing! (7 in Rev) Who hear & obey(1:3); Who die in the Lord(14:13); Who look for Christ s return(16:15); Who are invited to the Messianic banquet(19:9); Who have part in the 1 st Res(20:6); Who keep the words of the prophecy of this book(22:7); Who wash their robes(22:14) Reads reads aloud In the ancient world not everyone could read (estimate about 20/30% were able) & not many could afford books/scrolls Col.4:16 Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea Hears 2.9. Keeps Takes to heart, heeds Read Rev.22: Q: Shall we commit to keeping the things we are about to read in the next weeks?

5 Timeline Heaven New Heaven New Earth Cross Rapture 2 nd Coming Millennium(1000 yrs.) 3 ½ years 3 ½ years Tribulation Hell Eternal Fire Color Chart: Jesus ; The Believers ; Unbelievers ; Satan ;

6 11 Differences between the Rapture & the 2 nd Coming [1] Rapture Christ s coming for us is a movement to heaven; 2 nd Coming - a movement to earth! [2] Rapture living saints are translated; 2 nd Coming no saints are. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. [3] Rapture - Saints go to heaven; 2 nd Coming - Saints stay on earth! [4] Rapture World stays the same; 2 nd Coming World is regenerated! [5] Rapture No judgment(i.e. throne); 2 nd Coming 2 (Is. & Gentiles)! [6] Rapture Saints are delivered from wrath; 2 nd Coming Believers have survived the wrath! [7] Rapture Imminent, He can come any time; 2 nd Coming Can t come till all signs fulfilled! [8] Rapture Deals only w/the saved; 2 nd Coming Deals w/both saved/ unsaved! [9] Rapture Satan not bound; 2 nd Coming Satan bound 1000 yrs.! [10] Rapture No unfulfilled prophecy before it takes place; 2 nd Coming many signs must take place 1 st! [11] Rapture No one sees, twinkling of eye; 2 nd Coming Everyone sees!